Hatsukoi
by Lolita-C
Summary: Inspired by Utada Hikaru's 'First Love' and Fukuyama Masaharu's "Squall". Rei, the girl once Zero loved and has disappeared from his life without a trace, has made her appearance in the Cross Academy again. Zero x OC Please
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you so much for those who helped me and beta-read my fanfic (you know who you are^^)!**

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**First Love – Utada Hikaru**

The last kiss was the flavor of tobacco  
A sad and bitter aroma  
About this time tomorrow,  
Where will you be?  
Who will you think of?

You are always gonna be my love  
Even if one day I fall in love with someone else  
I'll remember to love -- you taught me how  
You are always gonna be the one  
It's still a sad love song  
Until I can sing a new one

The paused time  
Is about to move  
But I don't wish to forget

About this time tomorrow,  
I'll probably be crying,  
Most likely thinking about you

You will always be inside my heart  
Because there is a place for you there  
I hope that I have a place in your heart, too  
Now and forever you are still the one  
It's still a sad love song  
Until I can sing a new one

You are always gonna be my love  
Even if one day I fall in love with someone else  
I'll remember to love you taught me how  
You are always gonna be the one  
It's still a sad love song, yeah  
Now and forever

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**Chapter 1**

**Zero's POV --**

I didn't know why, but my memory of you always began with the roseate dawn of a hazy, midsummer night. Despite the typical chill usually presented the hour of twilight, and that I was drenched all over by the rain, I didn't feel the cold nipping at my skin; I was, however, aware of the rain as it thoroughly buffeted my skin, successfully soaking me to the bone.

_So are you_

Standing in the rain, your scarlet red hair was all damp as well with excess water dripping down your cheek, but you paid the droplets little attention as you stood there and let them ran free, seemingly unaffected. Your usually cheerful golden gazes were hidden behind the veil of wet locks, and so I was unable to determine what you were thinking at the moment, though from the tiny shudder of your fragile shoulder, I suddenly realized.

_You are crying._

Carefully, I fingered the locks away from your eyes, stray tears running down from your warm cheek to my finger tips. I knew they were tears because they were warm, though they were intermixed in with the coldness of the misty shower.

"Rei," I whispered into your ears, gently pulling you toward my embrace, almost afraid you would suddenly evanescence into the faint mist of the twilight. I could feel the tiny movement of your chest against me, your breath warming my neck. We have taken in, within a warm embrace, a brief moment of silence which seemed to be eternal, until you finally break that ephemeral silence. It is, however, something that I most reluctantly, must hear.

"I am sorry, Zero," you whispered as you pulled yourself away from me, your golden gaze locking with my own.

"Why?" I asked. You looked at me, no words your answer, but instead a mysterious smile. However, I knew the faint smile of your rosy lips was an apologetic one.

"I cannot tell you right now. Forgive me," you shook your head slightly. After another moment of silence, you continued. "Ne….Zero….Promise me you will be a good vampire hunter?"

I nodded; thought at that moment I didn't understand why you would mention that at such a time. You seemed to be satisfied by my tacit response. Look delighted, you touched your pinky to mine before wrapping it around.

"Let's make a promise," This was what we usually did when we made promises to each other.

Looking into your eyes, I became aware of my feelings to you and, at that moment, I was unable to resist the urge of pressed my lips to yours. It was a soft and chaste touch. This, our first kiss - bitter, yet sweet.

"We should go back," I said, looking into your eyes. I felt as though you might slap me for that act of intimacy, but to my surprise, you didn't. Your fingers were playing idly with the tip of your drenched scarlet locks, as if to get rid yourself of the embarrassment. A bashful smile curved upward on your already-blushing face. I never told you, but I loved it when you blush.

"Yea we should." You replied with a slightly bashful chuckle, your tender voice caressing the words as they were spoken. I gently took your hand and held it as if they were my precious thing. Though your hand was wet, I could still feel the heat concentrating at the center of your palm. Holding your hand tight in mine, we walked home together.

The next day, you vanished.

_Gone without a trace._

And this was the end of my memory of you.

I never understood why all of a sudden you asked me to be a good vampire hunter; you've always known what I wanted to do.

_But now I do…._

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**Konnichiwa!!! My name is Rosa Shiki~~~ this my first attempt to start a VK fan fiction so please enjoy and R&R!!!!**

**Btw, I LOVE ZERO AND ICHIJOU!!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The story is written in Rei's POV :) Enjoy! I didn't own Vampire Knight nor Utada Hikaru's song.....and Hikage Rei is an OC created by me!

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"We have arrived, miss." Waken up by the gentle taps on my shoulder by the driver, I lazily stretched my arms. Rubbing my drowsy eyes with my palms, I wondered how long had I had slept. Looking out of the car window, I could see the car had just pulled into some what looked like the front foyer of the Cross Academy. Even though I am still felt sleepy and was reluctant to remove myself from the comfortable seat, I managed to pull myself together. After I fixed my scarlet hair, which got a little bit messy from my sleep, and straighten my white night class uniform – black blouse, white school blazer and skirts along with black leather boots – I got out of the car and stepped into the refreshing air of a warm summer afternoon. Fresh sunlight was pouring down from the clear, azure sky.

_It's such a lovely weather to start my day! _

Feeling the sensation of faint warm of sunlight washed over me, I couldn't help it but smile to myself. As far as I could remember, I didn't really have much chance to enjoy my days under the blue sky like this. The sun was bright and making it necessary for me to shield my eyes with my hands. The driver benevolently offered me an umbrella, but I refused the offer courteously.

"I like the sun," I explained, assuring him with a smile. "I am used to it."

The driver looked at me with concern for a moment longer, then he proceeded to take my luggage from the back trunk. Indeed, it was strange for a vampire to admit that they like the sunlight; after all, the two just didn't mix under normal circumstances.

After the driver settled my luggage on the ground, he checked on me once again, making sure that I was okay by myself, and then he returned to the car. I smiled and waved him 'goodbye' before the car pulled away from the lot.

While I sat on my luggage, patiently waiting for someone to pick me up, I gave the building a look. It was a Victorian-styled architecture standing on top of a small sloping hill behind a huge metal gate with a gothic arch; its two-story external framework was outlined with reddish-brown bricks, with an elegant veranda on the second floor. From the gate, there was a long stony staircase winding down toward the main foyer, which was where I was currently waiting. This was when I spotted two figures - an amber-haired boy tailing by a blonde, who were walking down the staircase. I immediately recognized the amber-haired boy as Kain Akatsuki. I met him on an annual ball before, and since then we became friends and exchanged letters occasionally. He seemed to be quite comfortable under the sun. On the other hand, the blonde didn't seem to share the same enjoyment; he looked grumpy and had his arms folded across his chest, muttering all the way as he traipsed behind his companion.

"Akatsuki!" I looked at him with delight as the amber-haired boy approached me. "Long time no see!"

"Yeah, it's been a long time, Rei." He said with his usual tranquil voice. "How have you been?"

"Better than ever! I am glad Ichiou-sama finally let me go to this school," I said happily. "It's so boring with the home tutors back there. You know. They are pretty damn strict….By the way, where's Ichijou? He said in the phone last night that he will pick me up."

"Oh yes, Ichijou says he was supposed to come pick you up, but he got caught up some business with Kaname-sama right now. So he asked us to come instead," Kain answered. "But you sure will see him tonight at dinner though."

"Oh…..Busy, huh?" I shrugged my shoulders. Even though I didn't show it in my face, I was actually a little bit disappointed about that; after all, I hadn't seen Takuma for so long since he left the Ichijou mansion for Cross Academy. "Oh well, he's always busy. This is not the first time."

Then, I looked over Kain's shoulder and noticed the blonde boy, who was now standing beside Kain, still had his arms folded across his chest. Now that he seemed to be a little more comfortable under the sun now, but I could sense the word 'displease' had written all over his face. After all, this was still considered 'night time' for vampires.

_At least to the normal ones I supposed._

"You don't seem to like the sun, do you?" I chuckled at him and gestured towards him with a wink, and then I turned to Kain. "Sorry, but I didn't anticipate that I would arrive at such early hours."

"Not a problem," replied Kain. He gestured to the blonde boy with his eyes. "By the way, this is my cousin, Aidou Hanabusa." Then he switched his gaze from Aidou to me. "Hanabusa, this is Hikage Rei. She's a pureblood."

"Let me guess…." I titled my head to the side. I was sure that I had seen him somewhere before because I recognized his face, but I just couldn't recall where. Suddenly, something popped up in my mind and I let out a quick, soft 'Oh'. A small grin appeared on my face. "I remember you! You are Tsukiko's little brother! Do you still remember me?"

"Oh. Now that you mention it." Raising an eyebrow, Aidou smirked. "I remember you! How could I forget? You and Tsukiko played a prank on me at the last annual ball!"

"Hanabusa…." Looking at his cousin with a frown, Kain sighed, and felt embarrassed by his younger cousin's immature behavior. "It's not proper to point and shout at a girl….Especially to a pureblood." He added.

"I know it's insolent to speak of a pureblood without honorific, but still!" Making a face, he said as he stuck out his tongue at me_. _"She and Tsukiko almost tricked me into drinking that 'poison potion' they made!"

"That's okay, Akatsuki. I am actually glad that Hanabusa still remembers me." I giggled. "You know, after all, I am new to the school and all I know are you and Takuma. Now I can add Hanabusa to the list," I said happily as I nodded at Aidou. "And I guess I do owe you an apology."

Kain seemed to let out a sigh, then he walked toward my luggage. "Is that all?" He asked.

"Thank you." I nodded. Kain shook his head as if saying 'it's not a problem', and he grabbed the handle of my suitcase and lugged them up the stairs. As the three of us walked up the staircase towards the gate, I looked up at the sky and caught the last glimpse of the sunlight that now mixed with a hint of roseate suggesting the faint glow of approaching dusk.

"Come on," I turned around and shouted at the two boys. "I want to see Takuma soon." And I raced toward the gate, without looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

**May 3, 2009//Hi!!! I changed the BGM of this chapter from Utada Hikaru's "Beautiful World" to Fukuyama Masaharu's "Squall" because I think the later would suit the theme better ^^ Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

_Watashi koi wo shite iru kanashii kurai_**  
I'm so much in love it's sad  
**_Mou kakusenai kono setsunasa wa_**  
I can't hide this pain anymore  
**_Motto issho ni itai_**  
I want to be with you more  
**_Futari de itai_**  
Just the two of us  
**_Kanaete hoshii natsu no akogare_**  
I want you to make my summer longing come true  
**_Sagashiteta anata dake..._**  
I've been searching, just for you...**

~ **Fukuyama Masaharu – Squall ~**

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After Kain and Aidou helped me carry my bags of luggage to my dorm room, they waved goodbye and proceeded to head to the main gate where all the fan girls were gathered. I stayed in my room since I didn't have to start class until the next day. Being one of the rare purebloods on campus, I was privileged to have a room all to myself.

After taking a bath and changing into my silky rose nightgown, I slumped onto the black leather sofa in my dorm room lazily. The sun had already set and the roseate dust had intensified and was taken over by the subtle color of darkness; streaming through the large glass window framed in exquisitely ornate metal vines, the serenade moonlight lightened up the dark night with a lustrous glow. Staring out into the starry night sky, I leaned casually onto the edge of the sofa, with my legs tucked underneath my gown. The atmosphere surrounding me was calm and quiet; the clock was ticking hypnotically in the background behind me. The mechanical ticks had done nothing useful at all but increased the lonely feeling within my room. Gazing out the window, the randomly sparking stars that were etched in the velvet night reminded me of a distance, nostalgic memory that was buried deeply inside my heart. The recollection of the misty twilight was still fresh in my mind as if it took place yesterday. Whenever I let the opaque image ran through my mind, I could still recall the warmth of his palm when he wrapped his fingers around mine, and the melancholy feeling as I watched his silhouette gradually faded as he went off in when we parted; although the memories seemed so appeared far away, it was simply that vivid. It was something that I already prepared to forsake, but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't find the will to discard.

_'If 'that' never happened, will we ever be the same again?'_

This question had been stirring in my mind for a long time. Smiling bitterly, I shook my head slightly as the thought crossed my mind. I brought my hand to my neck and felt the warmth of my very own blood running smoothly along my veins in a rhythmic pace.

_'Isn't the answer is obvious already?'_

The wound, I realized, had already healed itself, but the dull pain inflicted by the sensation of sharp fangs still lingered. The faint but sufficient feeling was enough to remind me of the inescapable existence of the non-crossable line that was between me and him.

_Since the day we were engulfed in fate's little game, we are bounded to be heading our separate ways._

Sighing wistfully, I closed my eyes and lost my myself in a deep contemplation until it was broken by the faint footsteps echoing in the empty hallway approaching my dorm. I gazed at the door and waited for awhile, but the door never opened. Finally, I lost my patient and raised my voice.

"Just come in if you want to." I swiveled around to face the doorway and watched the door as it opened silently, looking at the emerald gaze of the tall figure of none other than Ichijou Takuma himself, who was currently leaning wearily against the wooden door frame. He was holding his ruffled white uniform blazer in his arm, his red necktie hung loosely around his pale neck. He looked like he had been dismissed from an important meeting and dashed off to his destination on time. He was panting with a low steady beat, his cheeks red from exhaustion. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, he flashed an apologetic smile at me.

"Sorry, Rei. I was supposed to pick you up but I had a sudden meeting with Kaname-kun and was unable to meet you," he explained nervously. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head, apologized with a sheepish grin. "Please don't be angry."

Seeing Takuma in a fluster trying to search for the appropriate words, I couldn't help it but chuckled pleasantly.

"Well, shame on you for not arriving there on time then!" I smiled at him. I paused for a few moments as I saw Takuma's crestfallen face. "Don't worry. I am just tired from all the traveling, that's all."

I stood up from my sofa, and walked toward the small peach wood cupboard that stood underneath the window. The clock on the wall showed that it was a little before one in the morning. I looked out the window, but all I could see was a world of total darkness. From the cupboard I picked out two crystal wine glasses and back to the sofa. Then I reached for the little tin can that stood on the center of the glass table that stood in front of the sofa, picked up two blood tablets and dropped one into each of the wine glasses. I tilted the glasses lightly back and forth, and the tablets quickly and quietly dissolved away, turning the colorless water into a swirl of crimson. I jerked my head toward Takuma and patted on the vacant space beside me, gesturing him to occupy it. My lips curved into a grin of victory as Takuma breathed a defeat and walked toward me. I handed him one of the glasses as he sat down beside me.

"You're sure not angry at me anymore right?" He asked cautiously as he took the glass from me.

"Do I look so petty?" I said, teasingly. Then both of us burst into laughter.

"Cheers!" He said and raised his glass at me as I leaned forward to clink my glass against his. He took a sip of the drink, and put it back down onto the glass table. "So how's my little princess's doing?" He smiled and patted softly on my head. I really liked that. The feeling of being pampered was something that I had been missing since my parents' death. It felt like as if we were back in the days when we were still living a carefree life back in the Ichijou mansion - a time when the complications and responsibilities of being nobles and purebloods were beyond our concern.

For the rest of the night, we stayed up chatting and drinking, telling about what the other had been missing in each other's life. He told me about his school life, with all the regular love letters and class skipping to read manga. On the other hand, I told him about the people we had once lived with back in the Ichijou mansion. The midsummer night breeze was causing the white curtain to rustle and I could hear fainting melodies of the piano playing Bach's 'Air' beautifully from the distance. I put my glass back down on the glass table and leaned casually on the sofa. The distant aria was so calm and peaceful, making me felt somewhat somnolent. My eyelids gradually felt heavier and heavier, and before I realized, Takuma had reached out and gently pushed my head down to rest against his comfortable, broad shoulder. It was so close I could even smell the sweet aroma of camellia of his blouse. I was too tired to respond and my arms just hung at my sides. Feeling Takuma's warm hands tenderly brushing against my scarlet hair, the tenderness of his touch reminded me of my longing for _him_, and the wistful feeling made me almost wanted to cry. To rid the thought, I snuggled closer into his arms.

"If you are tired, you should get some sleep." Sensing my uneasiness, he tightened his embrace slightly and whispered into my ears softly. I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the soothing effect of his lulling voice, lingering in my ears.

"Have a nice dream." he whispered in my ears once again. A smile of relief rose to my lips as I quietly fell asleep, drifting into my peaceful realm of dream.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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I woke up to the blinding streams of summer midday that shone into my room through the half opened window. Shielding my eyes from the sudden brightness, I rubbed my eyes lazily and sat up, only to find that I was no longer on the sofa in Takuma's arms but on a comfy bed covered with a soft velvet blanket around me. On the stand table next to my bed, I noticed a tall wineglass full of water with a box of blood tablets beside it. I leaned in towards the glass, noticing a small white piece of paper taped to the glass. I realized it was from Takuma, with his small neat writing. The note he wrote wished me a great first day, and I smiled as I read it. Tossing the velvet blanket aside, I stretched my arms and yawned as I let the bright sun warm up my body. With deft movements, I dropped a blood tablet into the wineglass, walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out my white uniform, throwing them on as I let my blue nightdress dropped on the ground. Seeing my pairs of katanas, I strapped them to the side of my waist as well, thinking that I might be in need of them later. After that I picked up my cardigan which I draped on the back of chair, put it on, and stood in front of the full-length antique mirror and arranged my hair into a princess-like bouffant style with a rose hair clip, with the ends curled upward; I smiled with satisfaction when I perfected it.

After I finished dressing up, I walked back to the bed and picked up the wineglass. I gave it a little swirl and walked calmly towards the window with the glass pinioned between my hands. The white laced curtain undulated by the soft ruffles of the twilit breeze, rippled like the waves of deep calm sea. Carefully setting the glass on the window sill, I reached out to push the half-opened window a little further, feeling the faint crispy warmth as it washed over me and poured into the room. Leaning against the window sill, I looked out the window, noticing small, entrancing clouds that etched against the azure sky; the thick clouds tore off in various places as grand columns of sunlight thrust through, enfolding the campus area. I could even hear some cheerful birds chirping on a small stand of trees nearby.

Slumping back onto the sofa where Takuma and I had sat last night, I buried my face in the pillow that still bore his scent, remembering the memories of cheery laughter shared just a few hours ago; that thought made me blush slightly. Then I heard a light knock on my door, followed by Takuma's voice. I lifted my head as the door opened and Takuma poked his head into the room.

"Just want to know if you're ready to go." Takuma smiled as he walked toward me. He placed his hands over my hair and stroked my locks tenderly.

"Yup." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, resting my arms on my knees and nodded slightly at Takuma. "I am all ready to go." I smiled and slowly got up from the sofa, reaching for Takuma's hands and took his. I felt the familiar feeling of warmth and serenity penetrated through his hands that tightly squeezed my fingers - the very hands that always made me felt secure whenever I held onto them.

As he escorted me out the room and down the swirling staircase into the crowded common room, I scanned the crowd and recognized some of them whom I had met from the innumerable annual balls or social dinners which Ichiou-sama had taken me to.

Akatsuki waved at me when he spotted me with Takuma and I waved back at him as I cleaved my way through the crowd toward the sofa where he and Hanabusa were sitting. A strawberry-blonde hair girl was sitting beside them drinking earl grey tea, and across from them were a reddish-brown hair boy and a girl with orange-colored hair styled in pig-tails, both of them were munching on Pocky sticks. The reddish-brown hair boy seemed to recognize me from our previous encounter on the annual ball, and passed me a box of Pocky sticks when I sat down beside him. I gave him a smile and thanked him as I took the box from him.

Out of the blue, I noticed a strange aura was floating in the air, and the crowd quieted down all of a sudden. I saw everybody including Kain and Takuma, has turned their heads towards the staircase. I swirled around in my seat and gasped a little when I saw Kuran Kaname walked down the staircase with Seiren following closely behind.

"Hello, Kaname." I shot him a weak smile before I stood up to greet him. "It has been a while."

"Hello, Rei." He replied with his usual gracious smile, as decorous as always. "It's nice to see that you have arrived safety." Then he gestured at Takuma, who was walking toward us.

"Takuma, lead Rei to the night class and help her make some new friends," He decided, and then turned to me. "After class I will take you to the headmaster's office."

Looking into Kaname's inscrutable maroon gaze, a feeling of uneasiness began to float up from the bottom of my heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

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That night was one of those restless nights for Zero.

The room grew dimmer steadily as the night plunged into darkness, but Zero didn't even bother to get up to switch on the light. The only illumination was the tranquil moonlight that shone through the sheer veil, casting fragments of silver and icy blue hue onto the wooden floors. The air was cool and placid that Zero could even hear his own heartbeat. Still in his black day class uniform, Zero threw himself down on his bed and laid languorously with his head pressed against the chilling cobblestone wall, listening to the night sound through his half opened window. Unlike the other restless nights when he was suffering from his blood lust which made him restless, tonight he was just simply suffering from insomnia. His body was exhausted from the guardian duty a few hours ago and he knew he had to rest or else he would be tired for class tomorrow morning. But despite the time, he simply couldn't get himself to fall asleep. Far from a good night rest, he just kept stirring in his bed, turning and tossing, drifting in and out of from periods of shallow sleep. Finally he gave up. Stretching out on his bed wearily, he stared at the dark ceiling for a brief while and released a long, deep sigh. Realizing he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, Zero decided to take a walk to catch some fresh air and hopefully, that could ease his mind. With that he pulled himself out of the bed and opened his door ever so gingerly, slipping away into the dimly-lit corridor.

With his hands placed in his jacket pockets, he sauntered casually along the dirt path near the dormitory before finding himself wandering into the rose garden, close to White Lily's barn. Compared to White Lily's home, the garden was his second favorite place to have peace of mind. The summer breeze softly ruffled against the bushes of blossoming roses and soon the placid garden was filled with sweet floral fragrance. The velvet sky overhead, lit up by many stars, was clear and enchanting. Flowing out of nowhere was the intertwining sounds of strings and piano playing to the tune of Bach's 'Air' softly faded into a faint fragrance in the summer breeze. As the soft, tranquil piano aria filled Zero's ears, it sounded somewhat familiar and it reminded him of the scent of a long-forgotten memory.

He closed his eyes and a familiar silhouette emerged from the subtle darkness and gradually forming an opaque image of a girl sitting behind a black grand piano. Her slender fingers were jumping deftly on the white and black ivory keys, as though they were dancing, and he could vaguely recall the soft and serenade notes of 'Air' echoing in the stillness of the courtyard. As the last note of the aria faded, she looked up and gazed into his lilac eyes - a shy, unaffected smile flashed on her face. Patting onto the space beside her, she would tell him to come and sit beside her.

_'How long has she been gone? Maybe six or seven years?'_

Even though it had been so long since the night when she had disappeared from his life, the recollection of her was still vivid to him, entangled like vines that wound around his mind. He remembered how bewildered he felt when he learned from his vampire teacher Yagari that not only was she vanished without a word, but she was also, like Shizuka Hiou who had destroyed his family and took away Ichiru , a pureblood vampire.

Out of the blue, Zero opened his eyes when he heard some faint footsteps approaching the rose garden entrance, and he sensed a strange but oddly familiar aura was penetrating the placid atmosphere. Instinctively, Zero had his right hand gripped onto Bloody Rose and hid himself in the shadow of the trees. As he peered out from the shadow to see who had just walked into the garden, his eyes were widened in surprise. Zero couldn't believe what he was seeing. He felt as if his heart had skipped a beat. Though everywhere was shadowed in darkness, Zero knew there was no mistake about it.

And she was not alone.

**To be continued.....**

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**Rosa//Hi^^ I rewrote the chapter and changed the last part to make it a bit easier for me to think of the next chapter ^^;;; Please R&R this chapter and if you have any idea or suggestion on how the next chapters should progress, please do not hesitate to tell me! Thanks and enjoy!**


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